Pages

Thursday, March 8, 2018

Back to sea level

Salt Lake City just takes me breath away.

I didn't climb this set of stairs

Each year when I attend the Rootstech Conference I find myself short of breath. Salt Lake City has an average elevation of 4,327 feet(1,319 m) above sea level which is high for this old girl who lives by the sea. This year the elevation combined with the minus temperatures really hit me.Although it is only a couple of hundred metres up the road from my hotel I only visited the Family History Library once, I only visited, Macys, my other US temple once as well. I was just too puffed to visit each of these a second time. Thankfully I had my asthma meds with me and was able to start a course of treatment that kept me awake and hopping.Thankfully my hotel was directly across the road from the Rootstech venue at the Salt Palace so I was able to get to the conference within a couple of minutes. This year I didn't attend many classes as I didn't have the energy to walk the long distances or stand in long lines that these required. I spent most of my conference in the Media Hub with regular forays out into the Expo Hall.As I was feeling poorly I only attended one keynote session in person. For these sessions the Ambassadors have to be in their reserved seats by 8am and, if one finds oneself behind a tall person (as I invariably do), it can be difficult to see the speaker on the stage. It has only taken me seven RootstechConferences to realise that I can set my alarm for 8:20am (thereby gaining an extra hour of valuable shuteye), watch the livestreamed keynotes while I dress and eat breakfast and actually see the whole presentation in comfort. Then when the session is over I wander over the Media Hub in time to interview the VIPs that are on the list for the day. Avoiding the crush of people leaving the keynote sessions is a bonus.

The people that you meet

The people that I meet and the interview opportunities that I am given are the reasons that I keep coming back to Rootstech . One of my goals is to be an Ambassador for Australia at Rootstech and an Ambassador for Rootstech for the people back home. It takes my breath away that I am given opportunities to share via Youtube my chats with geneastars at Rootstech that my genimates would not otherwise meet.

Aussies at Rootstech

I can report that I am now back on sea level and breathing normally, I had no trouble walking a couple of kilometres through Sydney yesterday.